Sailing
in Other Sports ·
I can't believe I'm even saying this—seriously, I can't! But frch says:
Look, it might take you a day or two—maybe even longer if things get messy—but you’ve just gotta stick with it! You have to be relentless, you know? Seriously, stay persistent. But man, once you finally nail it... that feeling? It is absolutely phenomenal. Pure magic!
I only really follow competitive windsurfing at the national level... mostly just because I happen to know a few of the guys out there!
Look, listen... it really just depends on what you're actually hunting for, you know? It’s this weird, wild sense of freedom—just you, the board, the ocean, and the wind hitting your face—it's incredible. But at the same time, let's be real, nobody ever truly surfs alone. 😉
Yeah, but at the end of the day—you’re still out there flying solo on that board!
frch said:That whole concept above is actually pretty wild... I mean, usually when something new hits the market like that, it just takes off like a rocket—super fast! It’s kind of funny when you think about it, because even kitesurfing took like a solid year just to really find its footing and catch on.
Look, this whole concept has been floating around for nearly a decade now, and honestly? It just hasn't caught fire. It’s way too pricey for what it is, and the physics of it are just... well, they're tricky! To actually get those foils to lift you up, you need a light breeze—we're talking maybe 10 to 15 knots—but if the boat is sitting heavy in the water, you're gonna need at least 20 knots just to feel a thing. Plus, they absolutely struggle when the big swells start rolling in. Nowadays, the big French manufacturers are putting all their energy into hydrofoil tech—and hey, the theory is solid—but it really only works for those short-distance sprints. When it comes to true blue-water cruising or long-haul trips? Classic sailboats still rule the roost. Period.
frch said:It’s honestly still such a thrill out here in the Gulf—everyone’s basically competing to see who can pull up closest to the ferry's stern! 😁 The ferry line to Hvar-Vela Luka runs three times a day—it’s basically like playing chicken out there! Honestly, I haven't heard of anyone getting wrecked yet, though... so far, so good!
It’s bound to happen sooner or later—it's just physics at this point! At my club, we deal with two or three emergencies every single day—usually involving kite surfers who catch a gust, launch themselves a few feet into the air, and then slam flat onto the water on their backs. You can actually hear that sickening *thwack* from a distance. And man, on the really stormy days? They’re practically flying like birds, getting tossed ten meters up into the air... seriously, just check out these photos. I can't believe I'm even looking at this site right now—honestly, my brain is a little fried from all the technical reading I've been doing lately! But hey, check this out: http://www.wind.co.il. It’s one of those deep dives you just stumble upon when you're falling down a rabbit hole of maritime gear and wind tech. Pretty wild stuff if you're into that kind of thing!
So, I was just scrolling through the website for that sailing club where I kept my catamaran—it’s actually a pretty sweet site! They even have a live webcam set up, which is awesome for checking out the conditions from my couch.
frch said:Man, sailboats are just absolute perfection... I mean, strictly for the pure joy of cruising around, right? I actually spotted this Beneteau 6.80 listed for about $17k—it’s super stripped-back and Spartan, which is honestly exactly what I'm looking for. Just enough to get me out there! Fingers crossed I can snag it before I finally hit retirement!🙄
I honestly don't know much about Beneteau—to be real with you, ever since I made the jump to multihulls, I’ve pretty much stopped keeping tabs on monohulls. Once you go black, you never go back, right? If I were in your shoes, especially with your windsurfing background, I’d just hang tight and wait for the F-22 to drop—yeah, that's the one I'm betting on! It's an Ian Farrier design. The "kit sail away" version (meaning you basically assemble it yourself) should be hitting the market around the $18k mark, if the estimates are right. There are so many perks to it—since it's a trimaran, it's incredibly light, so you can just tow it behind a regular SUV. Plus, it only takes like ten minutes to step the mast and get it ready, which saves you a massive amount on docking fees. Performance-wise, it gets way closer to that board-like feel than any monohull ever could, yet you still get as much space as a much larger single-hull boat. And let's be honest, it looks like a Klingon Bird of Prey! From what I've heard—at least regarding the Corsair F-24—these things handle rough storms way better than much bigger monohulls.
Check this out—I was just falling down a rabbit hole looking at the F-22 trimaran specs over at F-Boat, and man, my eyes nearly popped out of my head! Seriously, if you’ve ever spent time dreaming about high-performance sailing, this thing is basically a cheat code. It’s got that crazy lightweight design that makes you feel like you could fly right off the water if you weren't careful—not that I’d recommend testing that theory too hard, haha! The whole setup is just... wow. It’s built for speed, but in a way that feels approachable, you know? Like, it’s not some intimidating, untouchable racing machine, but more like a supercharged version of your weekend cruiser. I was reading through the technical details and thinking about how much fun it would be to take something like this out near San Diego or maybe even cruising up the coast toward Seattle—just pure adrenaline. It really gets me thinking about the balance between stability and that raw, "get-up-and-go" energy. Some people might say it looks a little extreme, but honestly? Life's too short to sail something boring! If you're into that sweet spot where cutting-edge engineering meets actual, usable fun, you definitely need to give this page a look. Just don't blame me when you start checking your bank account and wondering how soon you can make a move on one!
Hey, check this out—I found some clips showing how you actually launch those Farrier trimarans, and honestly? It’s not nearly as complicated as people make it out to be...
http://www.f-boat.com/pages/introduction/videos.html
In my book, you're getting way more boat for your buck here—the price point is pretty solid depending on what the dollar is doing lately—plus, most places won't even bother asking for a permit since they're under 25 feet.